Voter’s Edge: California’s 36th Congressional District

October 31, 2014 -- Democratic Representative Raul Ruiz is trying to hold on to his newly acquired seat in California’s 36th congressional district. Ruiz won the seat in 2012 after defeating Republican incumbent Representative Mary Bono Mack. A physician, he received his MD, MPP, and MPH from Harvard University and served as the Senior Associate Dean at UC Riverside's School of Medicine. Ruiz’s campaign has raised $2.5 million for his re-election bid, nearly three times as much as his Republican opponent, Brian Nestande. Ruiz’s top contributors include health care groups and labor unions, and he has also received support from Democratic super PAC, the House Majority PAC.

Nestande is currently serving in his last term as a California State Assemblyman for District 42. Nestande served as Bono Mack’s chief of staff in Washington before returning to California to run a government affairs firm. He has raised $853,400 for his campaign including $10,000 from leadership PACs belonging to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and Republican Representative Ed Royce. His other top contributors include accounting firm Pehl Foutz Foutz & Teegarden ($15,600), Palm Desert restaurant Mitch’s On El Paseo ($10,400), and the Northwest Excavating Company ($10,400).

Editor's Note: If you use MapLight data, please cite us. MapLight is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization that reveals money's influence on politics.

Methodology: MapLight analysis of campaign contributions to the primary controlled committees associated with candidates on California's November ballot from January 1, 2013 - September 3, 2014. Top contributor figures are based on itemized records, aggregated by employer for individual donors and by affiliate organization for political action committees. Total raised figures are based on summaries submitted by candidate committees in Form 460 reports. All numbers are based on latest data made available by the California Secretary of State as of September 3, 2014.